BoxRec

A prime Joe Louis against a prime Joe Frazier?


What advantages would Louis have over Frazier?


What advantages would Frazier have over Louis?


Who would win? Why?


Please explain.

Louis would win fairly easily.. Louis was a great straight puncher.. A great jab and straight right.. The reason Foreman beat Frazier so easily is because Joe was wide open for right hands.. All he needed is for somebody with real power to be hitting him and not a feather duster.

Louis was open for the right hand counter because he had a tendency to drop his left hand.. He jabbed with great frequency and gave you chances -- because Jack Blackburn was a big jab guy.. Blackburn also believed in a strong balanced stance, combinations, and pressure.. Frazier did not have a good right counter to take advantage of Louis's worst flaws.. His weapon was the left hook.

Frazier had a chance against Louis.. Tony Galento threw multiple left hooks and he floored Louis with one.. I would make Louis a 4/1 favorite -- where I thought Foreman should be a 100/1 favorite.. If you took all the Heavyweight Champs, Foreman was still one of Frazier's worst possible match-ups.

NYDominican wrote:What advantages would Louis have over Frazier?

Louis was taller and would have a reach advantage, so he could employ his jab.
Louis was more accurate with his punching and a better combination puncher.

NYDominican wrote:What advantages would Frazier have over Louis?

Frazier was more of a stocky built fighter than Louis. His powerful base allowed him to generate excellent punching power.
If pushed, I would maybe guess that Frazier hit harder than Louis when talking about single punch power.
Frazier always was a pressure fighter, which Louis admitted was the style that he struggled against.

NYDominican wrote:Who would win? Why? Please explain.

My best guess - I'd have to give it to Joe Louis. Despite the styles blending suiting Frazier, Louis was a class act. I believe that he would be the busier man and he would win via a pts victory.

Crease wrote:Frazier always was a pressure fighter, which Louis admitted was the style that he struggled against

For me, a prime Louis did well with pressure fighters: Max Baer, Buddy Baer, Arturo Godoy, Abe Simon, and Tony Galento... He had a harder time with boxers: Max Schmeling with the great right-hand counter shots knocking Louis out -- and Billy Conn with the speed, footwork, and combinations winning the fight through 12 rounds.. If you were right in front of Louis, that wasn't a real good place to be, like when Conn went after him.

mmm its a tough one. Did Louis ever fight anyone like frazier - well the answer is no. I think Louis was the greater figure tho and i think he'd find a way to win. He'd taste the canvas but i think his power and speed inside would win the day.

Louis was a sharp/crisp puncher with better technique - Frazier possessed a wicked left hook and a willingness to trade power punches.

Rounds 1-3: Frazier pressures/backs-up Louis, missing with sizzling hooks; Louis ties-up Frazier early, and later begins to score inside.

Round 4: Frazier catches Louis with a hook, Louis down for a count of five (or mandatory eight, depending when) - rest of the round Louis keeps Frazier off him with straight-up sparing.

Rounds 5-10: Louis lands more punches; Frazier never able to double-up/follow-up his hooks; Louis begins to do damage with right hands.

Round 11: Louis opens-up on Frazier -

- circa 1970: referee stops contest with Frazier on his feet; Louis by TKO.

- circa 1940: Frazier takes a beating but survives the round; Louis knocks Frazier down twice in the 12th; referee counts ten; Louis by KO.